News

Article by Jake Dietsch courtesy of The West Australian.

Iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart has donated $8 million to the Royal Flying Doctor Service to buy a state-of-the-art aircraft that will help save lives in the most isolated corners of the State.

The Rinehart Medical Foundation and Roy Hill will contribute $4 million each to buy and fund an aeromedical fit-out of a PC12 NGX plane in what is one of the most significant donations to the RFDS.

The aircraft, to be built in Switzerland, is expected to be in use by 2026.

Last month, Ms Rinehart was crowned Western Australian on the Year not only for her contribution to WA’s mining and agricultural sectors but for her generosity to various medical and health organisations.

RFDS Western Operations chief executive Judith Barker said the organisation had a $90 million program to replace 12 planes by 2030.

Ms Barker said the donation allowed the RFDS to put in an order for the first of those planes.

“This donation will allow us to put in an order for the NGX, which is the next model up,” she said.

“In the meantime, we’re going to proudly name one of the existing PC12s in honour of Ms Rinehart and her donation.”

The PC12s typically fly six million kilometres a year for the RFDS and are designed to be able to land on gravel or short runway stretches in places such as cattle stations and in remote communities.

Ms Barker said the new model would improve the flying experience for pilots as they navigated turbulent weather in WA’s north and challenging landings.

“The upfront technology will enhance the flying experience for our pilots and for our patients,” she said.

“These planes are tough and amazing in those conditions. The avionics in the front will absolutely support the pilot decision making.

“Our pilots do an amazing job and they fly these planes solo, which is what they’re designed for, but this will just provide added assistance to them in the way they fly the planes.”

The new plane will also allow the RFDS to review the cabin layout to ensure the best possible environment for clinicians to deliver in-flight care.

Ms Barker said the RFDS had a long association with Ms Rinehart and her mother, Hope Hancock.

“We’re really grateful for the support that we get from her, Roy Hill and the foundation who recognise that the RFDS is there to support them and their endeavours in rural or remote areas,” she said.

“People who work on their mines don’t just work there, they live in those communities.

“We have a responsibility to support them and keep them safe, as we do with anyone living in rural or remote areas.”

Royal Flying Doctor Service in $8M partnership with Rinehart Medical and Roy Hill

08.07.2023

Iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart has donated $8 million to the Royal Flying Doctor Service to buy a state-of-the-art aircraft that will help save lives in the most isolated corners of the State. The Rinehart Medical Foundation and Roy Hill will contribute $4 million each to buy and fund an aeromedical fit-out of a PC12 NGX plane in what is one of the most significant donations to the RFDS. Last month, Ms Rinehart was crowned Western Australian on the Year not only for her contribution to WA’s mining and agricultural sectors but for her generosity to various medical and health organisations. RFDS Western Operations chief executive Judith Barker said the organisation had a $90 million program to replace 12 planes by 2030. Ms Barker said the RFDS had a long association with Ms Rinehart and her mother, Hope Hancock. “We’re really grateful for the support that we get from her, Roy Hill and the foundation who recognise that the RFDS is there to support them and their endeavours in rural or remote areas,” she said.

Annas Journey Go Pink For Breast Cancer | Roy Hill

03.07.2023

Remarkable Anna Shrosbree, Technician Mine Geologist shares her inspirational story with us as a part of our 'Go Pink for Breast Cancer' events.

Farmers ‘absolutely ambushed’ by WA’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act

03.07.2023

IPA Deputy Executive Director Daniel Wild says farmers feel “absolutely ambushed” by Western Australia’s Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act and feel they haven’t been consulted properly.

WA Aboriginal heritage laws bamboozle business

02.07.2023

The first major test for the Cook Government has not gone well, judging by the level of backlash over the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act from miners, farmers and Indigenous groups. The shambolic rollout was on full display this week, with the Government continuing to tweak the laws right up to the 11th hour amid growing pressure but opposing calls for a delay. Some of that tinkering — particularly the commitment for a “light touch” approach to enforcing the new rules for the next year, an implementation group and an “education first” approach — will allow companies to go about their business without the fear of a fine hanging over their head. The Government also agreed to a one-year reprieve for more rigorous requirements to Indigenous heritage surveys after hastily taking down guidelines following concerns from industry, as revealed by The West Australian. Why all this had to be done the week before the new system was due to be brought in defies logic.

BHP chief Mike Henry warns the Govt’s IR policy will make Australia less competitive

02.07.2023

BHP boss Mike Henry has doubled down on criticism of the Federal Government’s crackdown on labour hire laws, arguing it is taking Australia in the “wrong direction” and will make the country less competitive. “An industrial relations system that delivers productivity, flexibility, and competitiveness to drive job creation and wage growth. Predictability and reduced risk. Under those conditions, the capital will flow,” Mr Henry told the World Mining Conference. “Worryingly, some policies are taking us in the wrong direction and are going to make Australia less competitive: this includes recent and proposed changes to industrial relations legislation, particularly the same job same pay legislation and multi-employer bargaining.”

We are proud to help the children of this great state through Telethon

01.07.2023

Thank you to our team members who took up the challenge in 2022 to help raise $3M for Telethon.

WA supercharges the surplus to $19 billion

01.07.2023

Strong commodity prices and WA’s powerhouse resources sector have played an “outsized” role in boosting the Federal Government’s coffers, with the Budget surplus ballooning to $19 billion at the end of May. New figures from the Department of Finance show a surge in company and personal tax payments underwriting a stronger than expected result. Receipts from the resources sector was one of the biggest contributors. Mr Albanese argued strong export links would be paramount to ensure unemployment levels remained low. “One in four Australian jobs depend on international trade and that ratio is only going to increase as the economic transformation under way in our region, the fastest growing region of the world in human history, gathers pace,” he told the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce on Friday.

Roy Hill entertains and engages staff in the outback

01.07.2023

Roy Hill, a world-class mining operation in Western Australia’s Pilbara region representing the next generation of integrated iron ore mining, rail and port projects, employs approximately 2,700 staff across its mine permanent village (MPV) site alone.While the provision of premium entertainment was a key requirement, Roy Hill also required a communication platform that could act as an extension to their intranet to share essential information with on-site teams that could be managed from HQ or by teams on site. They were also keen to implement the new solution with minimal upgrades to their current infrastructure. The challenge was being able to deliver an innovative, best-in-class premium entertainment and engagement solution at Roy Hill’s MPV village, with approximately 2,700 rooms, while maintaining a reliable service within a low bandwidth environment.

Australia Must Heed Gina Rinehart’s Timely Warnings

30.06.2023

“Canberra Hill is not a wealth creator or nation builder, but a user and waster of taxpayer funds, an inefficient disperser of taxpayers’ funds, and its record shows a place which fails to understand economic realities,” she said. “This lack of economic realities has resulted in policies which restrict our pensioners, students and even veterans from working as much as they may choose, while there is a widespread worker shortage, a worker shortage crisis, affecting many businesses and supplies.” At a time of record revenue, thanks to mining, one would expect government services to be provided abundantly and efficiently. Unfortunately, the opposite is the case. Notwithstanding the money flowing into state government coffers, the standard of the provision of services, which is the key role of state governments, has never been so poor.

National summit seeking a fair go for the bush

30.06.2023

Hancock Agriculture chairwoman Gina Rinehart said the summit was an opportunity for governments to better understand those living and working outside our cities. “Eighty-five per cent of Australians live in large urban locations, but we should not forget the engine room of our country, that being outside the cities in mining and agriculture and all of those who work in our bush,” she said. “They in turn make possible jobs for the many businesses the primary industries support; the truckies, the shops, even accountants, legals, tax advisers and many more.”